Summer's End
by EnglishPoet18
Summary: This is set after Season 3 but about 4 years later...This is a Carl/Beth (Cath?) fic as well as a Caryl (Daryl/Carol) fic. Rated M for sexual content/scenes and language. I own nothing from The Walking Dead or it's characters.
1. Chapter 1

****AN: Well, I told myself I wasn't starting a new story right now but here I am once again. LOL! Anyways, this story sort of just came at me and I dreamed a lot of it last night so I wrote it all down. After writing it, I knew I had to post it or it would kill me so here it goes...I think I've done a decent job of explaining where everyone is at this point so if you think you want more, you know the drill! This does have Cath and Caryl so if those ships bother you, why are you here? For those who want to stick around, shoot me a line and let me know you're here. Thanks! **

**...**

The sun was just coming up over the horizon, casting soft rays of light over the earth. The air was cool with a light fog that was just beginning to lift. The deer twitched its ears and cast a glance around the small field. Deciding nothing was amiss, the deer lowered its head and began to eat.

He crouched low to the ground from his hiding spot not far away and began to pull back on his bow. The deer paused mid-chew to gaze around again and he prepared to let the bolt fly. Slight shuffling behind him caught his attention and another bolt shot through the air and into the deer's side causing a bright red to spill from the wound and paint the earth below its feet. The deer dropped to the ground, breathing heavily.

The man looked over his shoulder at the younger hunter who stood just behind him and to his right. The young man smirked and began walking past him.

"Gettin' slow old man?" Carl taunted.

Daryl resisted the urge to trip him as he passed by him on the way to collect the deer. It had been somewhere around four years since they had left the sanctuary of the prison. The boy had grown into a young man now. Gone was the little boy who wore his father's hat everywhere and questioned everything. In it's place was a man who had been hardened by the new world. Carl had shot up from the shorter version that he had used to be. He now stood about six foot tall with broad shoulders and a small goatee that Daryl hated. He tried to get the boy to let one of them shave it off, but Carl refused.

Ever since Rick had passed about two years ago from a walker bite, Carl pretty much did what Carl wanted. The only people that could influence Carl in any way were Beth, himself, and Judith. No one else even bothered trying. When Rick had passed, Daryl had taken Carl under his wing, teaching him everything that he knew. He even had his own bow and could give Daryl a run for his money at times. There had been times when he had thought that Carl was going to leave from the group and not come back. The death of his father had hit him hard, as it had the rest of the group. No one was used to being together without Rick. Especially Daryl. Rick had been like a brother to him since his own had passed so long ago.

Ironically Carl had been the one to kill the Governor. It had been a day just like any other. It had been the middle of the day and everyone had been going about their daily routine, not having noticed the Governor and his men until it was too late. It had started a war amongst everyone and the Woodbury residents had been the first to go. The Governor had hung back from the fight, choosing instead to watch from the sidelines as he sent his men inside the prison gate. He never counted on Carl being outside the gate, having taken it upon himself to go check the animal traps that Daryl had set up to try and catch more food. Before the Governor had even known what was happening, Carl had shot him, not even giving him the chance to turn around. With the Governor gone, his men hadn't stood a chance.

They had lost some of their own that day as well. Sasha and Hershel hadn't survived the chaos. After the bloody massacre, what was left of their group had decided to cut their losses and head out. They had shuffled through the bodies and buried their dead, paying their last respects before heading out.

At first, they had traveled from place to place like vagrants. Some places they stayed only overnight and others were deemed safe enough for a two or three night stay. They had stayed on the road for a while. Daryl had lost count of the exact time. It had been that last day when they had found the small subdivision out in the middle of the country that Rick had been bit. The walker had come out of nowhere, taking them all off guard, and before anyone had been able to kill it, it had taken a chunk out of Rick. Carl had lost it and that was when Daryl and the rest of the group had thought he would split and not come back. He had taken off for a few days, but he had finally returned. Daryl wasn't sure what brought him back, but he had his suspicions that it had something to do with Beth.

Beth and Carl had become even closer after leaving the prison. The friendship that they had once had on the farm so long ago had gotten stronger. Lately Daryl suspected that there was more to that than just friendship, but it wasn't his business. He had been quietly appointed as a father figure for Carl now that Rick was gone. Daryl had taken it apon himself to teach the boy everything that he could and Carl had quickly become a formidable opponent. There were times like now, in the woods together, that Daryl could see glimpses of himself in Carl as well as Rick.

"Could use some help dressin' this deer unless you gonna sit there daydreamin' all day." Carl's voice cut into his thoughts as he walked past him, dragging the small deer. He stood up and followed him over to an open area where Carl began the process of preparing the deer to take back to the others. It had been a long time before they had started seeing any animals again. For a while, they were worried that all of them were gone, having suffered their fate as dinner for the walkers. They had noticed a decline in the amount of walkers that roamed about. They were still out there, but there weren't as many as there used to be and they wondered if they were dying out.

Daryl helped the young man dress the deer and bury the parts that they wouldn't use to keep the smell away from attracting any walkers. They opened their bags and packed them with the meat before shouldering them again and setting back off towards their home. They stopped just out of the woods and looked down onto the home that they had made, drinking it all in. They had stumbled upon the half built subdivision purely upon accident. They had walked out of the woods one day and there it had sat.

There were a total of five houses with an iron fence that stretched to enclose half of them. They had added to the fence with pieces of other fences they had managed to find on runs and such. Now it seemed to work well for them. They had a small garden and even a pen that held a few chickens. The best part had been the generators that they had found a few months ago. After many trial runs, they had finally been able to set them up and get them running. Now each house had warm water and working appliances. They kept a few vehicles parked just outside of the fence and they had a well stocked supply of fuel just inside the gate. All in all, it seemed to run as smoothly as one could imagine.

They headed down the hill and towards the gate where Tyreese opened it up to let them pass through. They still kept someone on watch at all times, although very rarely did anything ever seem to happen. Still, Daryl knew it would be a mistake to lower their guard down. They entered inside the fence and headed to the first house that Carol, himself, Carl and Judith occupied. It was the biggest and the one they used to hold meetings and gatherings whenever the need arose.

Carol was busy at the stove preparing something when they walked through the door. Daryl's stomach grumbled at the smell, reminding him that it was time for breakfast. She smiled over at them and Daryl set his pack down to walk over behind her. He wrapped his arms around her middle and breathed in her light soapy scent. He pressed a kiss to her neck and she patted his hand while she continued to finish cooking their meal.

"Uncle Daryl! Did'ja get anything?" A small hand tugged on his pants leg to ask. He glanced down at the tiny girl with her long dark hair and brown eyes with affection.

"Hey Jude," he picked her up. "I got us a deer. Wanna see?" He asked.

"Correction. _I_ got us a deer. The old man here just wasn't fast enough." Carl smirked from behind him.

Daryl scowled. "I ain't old."

"Yeah! He ain't old." Judith tried to mimick Daryl's scowl and they all started laughing.

"Alright Jude, he ain't old. He's just slow." Carl teased as he ruffled the young girl's hair affectionately.

"What ya doin' up so early Jude?" Daryl asked her.

"I'm waiting on Beth. She's comin' ta take me for a walk and we're going to learn about different types of flowers." Judith bounced up and down in his arms excitedly. Daryl noticed that Carl's ears perked up at the mention of Beth.

There was a knock on the door behind them and Beth poked her head in the door, smiling when she saw everyone standing around.

"Beth!" Judith squealed and almost launched herself out of Daryl's arms in her haste to get to the young woman. Beth laughed and picked her up, swinging her around.

"Mornin'." Carl smiled at Beth. Beth's face flushed slightly as she smiled back at the young man.

"Good morning Carl," she turned to everyone else. "Good morning."

"Daryl, can you clean this deer so we can get it off of the table? I'm going to need the space soon." Carol said from behind him.

He turned to her and winked. "Don't worry woman, I'm gon' getcha deer cleaned so ya can have yer space back."

"Yeah it's the least you can do, seein' as how I'm the one that shot it an' all." Carl smirked and ducked his head as one of Daryl's bolts came whizzing past, too close for comfort.

"Watch yerself boy." Daryl growled with a smile.

...

Carl stepped outside with Beth to wait on Judith to grab her shoes and a light jacket. Even though spring was upon them, the mornings were still quite cool. Carl stood next to Beth on the porch as she looked out over their home. Beth stayed in the house next door with Glenn and Maggie. Tyreese and Michonne had a house to themselves as well. They were a significantly smaller group than they used to be but they were all each other had now.

Carl snaked an arm around Beth's waist and she leaned into him contentedly. Their relationship had moved a little past the friendship stage and Carl was working on moving it even further along. She had finally let him kiss her a few months ago, but that's all they had done. It had been Carl's first kiss and he hadn't stopped thinking about it since. Every once and awhile she would let him kiss her again, but never around anyone else. He couldn't understand her hesitation, but he loved her and he would do whatever she thought best. He didn't know when it had turned into love for him exactly. He had always been drawn to her, ever since they had first met on the farm. She had withdrawn from him some during their stay at the prison when he had threatened to cross to the dark side.

Daryl had been the one to pull him out of it. He had shown him how to focus his energy into hunting and learning to survive in this new world. Then his dad had gotten bit and he had almost lost it. He had left the group for a few days, not even saying goodbye to anyone. When he had finally come back, Beth had been upset with him and it had taken her a while to forgive him. In a lot of ways, Daryl had sort of taken over as a father figure of sorts to him. He never really tried to tell him what to do, but he would give advice on things when he thought Carl needed it. Carl was ready now to branch out on his own and he was thinking of approaching Daryl about taking one of the empty houses as his own soon. He wanted his own space.

Beth sighed against his shoulder and he looked down at her curiously. "What's wrong?" He urged.

She tilted her face up to him. "Nothing. It's just perfect here. On mornings like these, I can almost forget what the world has come to. It's almost as if everything is back to the way it used to be." She said.

Carl smirked. "Ain't nothing gonna be back to the way it used ta be Beth."

She frowned slightly and he wished that sometimes he wasn't so cynical. She always tried to look on the bright side of things, but Carl was a realist. He didn't like to have false hopes. He also couldn't stand to see her frown either. He tipped her face up to his and lowered his lips to hers gently. Sighing, she turned in his arms and pressed herself into the kiss, her hands gripping his slightly muscular arms. He pulled back after a few minutes and rested his forehead against hers lightly. He offered her a small smile and she returned it before he wrapped her into his arms, drawing her tight for a hug.

His heart was beating fast and he struggled to control himself and his desire. He was having more and more trouble controlling himself around her. He didn't want to push her since she seemed content with just kissing him, but he wanted more. He wasn't sure how exactly to go about doing it though, since neither of them were experienced in that sort of thing. He supposed he would have to ask Daryl and hope the man wouldn't freak out about the whole situation.

It was hard to tell with Daryl sometimes. He had changed alot since the prison. He was still the same Daryl he used to be, but he was a lot more relaxed than he had once been. He seemed to be happy now that he and Carol had finally given in to their feelings for one another. They acted like an old married couple, but Carl didn't tease him too much about it. Daryl wouldn't hesitate to put an arrow into his ass he knew.

The door opened behind them and Carl reluctantly pulled away from Beth to see Judith coming outside.

"I'm ready Beth! Carl, Daryl said tha deer ain't gonna clean itself so ya better get in there." Judith skipped over to Beth and took her hand.

Carl shook his head. "Have fun." He cast a glance at Beth over Judith's head and then disappeared inside the house to help Daryl clean the deer.


	2. Chapter 2

****AN: On to chapter 2! Thanks for all of the reviews thus far! They are very encouraging! Please keep them coming and thanks for joining me! :)**

**...**

After Carl and Daryl finished cleaning the deer, they ate breakfast and then Carl followed Daryl out on his routine stroll around the premises. Sometimes Carl would accompany Daryl on these patrols, particularly when there was something on his mind. So for this reason, Daryl barely raised a brow when Carl slung his own crossbow over his shoulder and followed him out the door. They walked along in companionable silence for a bit, neither one feeling the need to fill the silence with idle chit chat. Daryl had learned that it was best to just wait Carl out when he got in one of these moods and eventually he would say whatever was on his mind.

Daryl had acquired a significant amount of respect for the man that Carl was growing into. He felt confident that should something happen to him, Carl would effectively be able to lead and protect the others in his absence. It had taken lots of hard work to get him there, but it had been worth it. His only regret was that his best friend wasn't there to see what his son had become. His mind drifted back to a conversation he and Rick had had in the months before Rick had died. They had went out to hunt after setting up camp at one of their many stops in their journey. Rick had been wanting to talk then too and just like Carl, Daryl knew he would have to wait him out. For some reason, over time Daryl had become the go to guy for advice.

_"I'm goin' ta see what I can scrounge us up ta eat. Be back in a bit." Daryl had said to the group. _

_Rick had jogged over to him and stopped beside him. "I'll come with you. Two eyes are better than one." _

_Daryl had eyed him knowing that something was up, but he had kept quiet and instead just nodded. They had headed into the woods a bit before Rick had begun to say what was on his mind._

_"I need to talk to you about something serious Daryl." Rick had begun. Daryl had paused in his search for game to glance back at Rick. His friend had looked momentarily distraught, as if the weight of the world fell upon his shoulders. Daryl had kept quiet and waited while Rick had gathered his thoughts. It took him a few minutes and Daryl had continued to peer around for game while he waited. Finally, Rick had spoken. _

_"I need you to promise me that you'll look after Carl and Judith if something happens to me." Rick had run his fingers through his hair in a move that Daryl had begun to recognize as one he did when stressed. _

_Daryl had been silent a few minutes, contemplating this. "Plannin' on goin' somewhere Rick?" _

_Rick had shot him a look and chuckled a bit before turning serious again. "No. But you know as well as I do that we need to be prepared for the inevitable. I need to know my kids are taken care of if something happens to me and you're still around. You're the only one I trust to watch over them." _

_"Carl's gettin' bigger now. He don't really need me." Daryl had insisted._

_Rick huffed. "Of course he does! He's still just a teenager. He needs guidance in this world. He needs someone to turn to if times get rough. I need you to be that someone for me Daryl. Promise me." _

_Daryl had shrugged, still thinking that Rick was just worrying over nothing. "Yeah, sure. I promise man. Ya know I wouldn't let nothin' happen ta either of 'em." _

_Rick had let out a deep breath at that and squeezed Daryl's shoulder gently. "Thank you." _

That had been a long time ago but Daryl could still remember that conversation as if it were yesterday. He hadn't known he would actually have to live up to that promise but he had. He had taken Judith in with no problem but Carl had been slower to come around.

Daryl paused in his patrol and picked some vines off of the fence that had started to wind their way through the holes. He threw them over to the other side and began to walk again, but stopped when he noticed that Carl was still standing still staring past him. Daryl followed his gaze and saw Beth and Judith laughing and talking happily in the small field by their houses. He was about to ask Carl what was up when Carl started to talk.

"How do you know if a girl's into you?" Carl asked him.

Daryl was taken aback. He thought it odd that Carl would come to him for this advice. Everyone knew that Daryl wasn't an expert when it came to women. It had taken him years to work up the courage to ask Carol to be his. Even now, the woman still worked his nerves a bit here and there.

"Yer askin' me? Don't ya think this question would be better suited for Glenn or somebody?" Daryl asked.

Carl scowled. "I can't talk to Glenn. He'll run his mouth to Maggie and Maggie will tell Beth. And Tyreese isn't in much better shape than you, so you're it."

Daryl chuckled. "Yeah, Glenn does have a tendency to run his mouth," Daryl picked at some pieces of vine still stuck to the fence. "I guess it jus' depends on how she acts around ya. If she smiles an' talks to ya. Does she touch ya when she talks to ya?" Daryl tried to remember some of Carol's actions. This was one of those times, he really wished Rick was still around. He would have been so much better at this than Daryl.

"I don't know. She smiles at me and she touches me," At Daryl's sharp look, he rephrased the sentence. "In a _friendly_ kind of way. We've kissed a bit, but nothing more than that." Carl finished.

Daryl knew he was treading in dangerous territory here. The boy was clearly hinting at getting sexual advice from Daryl and Daryl wasn't sure he should be giving that. If he freaked out about it, then Carl might not ever come to him for anything else. That would hurt Daryl because he had come to enjoy the fact that the boy came to him for advice rather than seeking out one of the others.

He sighed. "I guess ya should ask 'er. I mean, if she seems put off by it then change tha subject and let it rest. If she doesn't seem put off by it, then she's prob'ly been thinkin' bout it. Ya just gotta go by her feelin' an' reactions." Daryl hoped that sounded okay.

Carl was silent for a minute and then nodded. "I guess I should talk to her and let her know that I want more instead of expecting her to read my mind, huh?"

"Talkin' is good." Daryl replied. He glanced over his shoulder at Beth and Judith who were now walking hand in hand in their direction. He could only hope the young woman wouldn't be ready. Daryl turned back to Carl before the two girl's got within hearing distance. "If thangs get outta hand, ya better make sure ya protected. We can't have no accidents, got me?" Daryl whispered.

Carl nodded and then grabbed Daryl's arm. "I don't have anything." His face turned a slight shade of red.

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Come an' see me later tonight." He turned just as Beth and Judith strolled up. Judith ran over to Daryl and wrapped her arms around his legs.

"Ride me, Uncle Daryl, ride me!" She bounced up and down excitedly. Daryl reached down, grabbed her under the arms, and placed her on his shoulders.

"Hold on tight okay?" He asked. She nodded her chin against his head. He nodded briefly at Carl and Beth and took off with Judith to continue his patrols.

...

Carl watched Daryl head off with Judith bouncing happily on his shoulders before turning to Beth. Her cheeks were flushed red from her and Judith's exertions and he was momentarily captivated by her beauty. Without thinking he reached his hand up and cupped her cheek, running his fingers lightly across the redness. She smiled and leaned into his hand.

"I wanted ta talk to ya about something." He said.

She smiled up at him. When he had finally hit his growth spurt, he had shot up taller than Beth even though she was still a good three years ahead of him. He looked around to see if anyone was around and then hesitated.

"Tonight. Meet me tonight?" He asked.

She wrinkled her brow at him but then shrugged. "Okay. Where?"

He scanned the area. He hadn't really thought that far ahead. There was a storage building where they kept extra fuel, animal feed, and supplies but that was kind of cramped. They could meet under the trees behind the houses, but he didn't want to draw any attention to them out in the open. His eyes landed on the two unoccupied houses and he nodded towards the one closest to them.

"Meet me at the house over there. Just after dark. Okay?" He asked.

She looked at the house and then back at him. "Alright." She hesitated. "Is everything okay?"

He nodded and smiled at her reassuringly. "Everything's fine."

...

Daryl rode Judith on his shoulders all the way around the fence before she spotted Maggie and Glenn outside and jumped ship. He was left wandering what had happened when she scrambled down off of his shoulders and jumped to the ground. She loved spending time with Maggie and Glenn whenever she could. They really took the time to play with her and she enjoyed it very much. He watched as she grabbed Glenn's hand and tugged him down to whisper something in his ear. He smiled at the girl and then turned to Daryl. Motioning to Daryl to go on about his work, the two walked over to where Maggie sat, tending some weeds in the garden.

Daryl shook his head and kept going until he reached Tyreese who was still standing on guard. They had a little makeshift guard shack set up near the front of the property that Tyreese and Daryl had built that seemed to be sufficient enough for guard duty. Tyreese came out as Daryl approached.

"Slow mornin'?" Daryl observed.

Tyreese laughed. "It's slow every day. You know how it is. It's good though. Slow means everyone is alive."

Daryl nodded as he lit a cigarette and blew a cloud of smoke into the air. "That it does."

There wasn't much to see from where they stood. Not much development out where they were beyond the occasional farmhouse and field. Daryl liked it though. Sure they had to drive a good bit to search out supplies but it was worth it. The openness of the area made it easier to spot herds or other potential dangers.

"How did the hunt go this morning?" Tyreese asked.

"It went alright. Carl shot us a decent sized deer. Enough where we each got us a cut or two of meat to put up. Carol shoulda run yers over to Michonne by now." Daryl replied.

"Sounds good. A little meat would be nice. Don't get me wrong. The vegetables we get from our garden are good when you're hungry, but some meat sounds real good."

Daryl chuckled. "Sure beats them eggs. I ain't never thought I would get tired o' eggs after findin' them chickens but I am. Carol's been findin' creative ways ta try an' spice 'em up."

Tyreese laughed. "How many ways can you spice up an egg?"

Daryl shrugged. "Ya don't wanna know. But she cooks it, so I eat it."

Tyreese nodded in agreement. "I hear that."

...

Daryl walked back into his house some time later intending on taking a long hot shower before he took over guard duty later. However when he walked by the bathroom on his way to the bedroom he and Carol shared, he found it already occupied. He could hear Carol humming and he smiled to himself as he listened to her.

He slowly opened the door a crack and peeked inside to see the barely visible outline of her behind the shower curtain. Grinning to himself he quickly slipped out of his clothes and stepped in behind her. She gasped and swung out with her fist, hitting him in the chest. He swore and rubbed the spot.

"Damn woman, try'na kill me?" He growled.

She giggled. "Well it's your own fault for scaring me like that." She said. Daryl watched as she rinsed off some of the soap that was left on her body. He could feel himself growing hard just looking at her all wet and slick. He reached out a hand to grab her breast but she swatted it away. "Don't even think about it Mister! I've got to go help Michonne with the laundry in a few minutes."

He buried his face in the side of her neck and growled. "How long?" He asked finally.

Carol frowned. "How long what?"

"How long ya got til ya s'posed ta be over there helpin' 'er?"

Carol shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe five minutes or so. Why?"

He yanked her close and pinned her to the wall. "I can do five minutes." He whispered before his lips seized onto her nipple.

"Daryl!" She laughed at his eagerness, but her laughter quickly died down as his hands traveled down her wet body.


	3. Chapter 3

****AN: So here you go! Another installment to our little story! I'm liking the tone so far and I hope everyone else is enjoying it as much as they say they are. I'm excited to see where this goes so I hope you'll stick with me! Keep the reviews coming, they are so motivating! Thank you to all those who have reviewed, followed, or favorite so far! It means a lot! Enjoy! :)**

**...**

Carl fiddled with his bow as he looked out of the window of his room at the darkness. It had felt like it would never get here and now that it had, he was starting to get nervous about it. He knew that Beth would be making her way over to the unoccupied house soon and he had to go pay a visit to Daryl. Daryl had seemed pretty okay with everything but the whole situation was still awkward to Carl. His palms began to sweat slightly as he paced his room. He stopped at the small mirror on his wall and pulled off his shirt. He stared at his muscles in the dim light and tried to figure out if Beth would find them adequate. They weren't as big as Daryl's or even Tyreese's even. He thought they might be at least as big as Glenn's though. Carl had bypassed Glenn once he had hit his growth spurt and now he wasn't the smallest male in the group anymore. Even though Glenn was older, Carl decided that he was definitely bigger. He grinned to himself slightly at that fact. He pulled his shirt back on and pressed an ear to the door to listen for any movement.

The house was quiet as it had been for a while. He had heard Carol put Judith down a little while ago and then her footsteps as she had walked past his room to go to the one that she and Daryl shared. He wasn't worried about getting caught but he just preferred not to have to see anyone as he was leaving his room. He slipped his knife into his pocket and crept down the hallway and out of the front door. He glanced around but all was quiet outside. He could see the dim light coming from their guard shack and as he drew closer, he saw the puff of smoke from Daryl's cigarette as it drifted up into the night.

As always, he couldn't sneak up on him and Daryl was waiting for him as he crossed to the front of the small building.

"So yer really goin' through with this then?" Daryl asked without looking at him.

"You gonna try and talk me out of it?" Carl replied.

Daryl shot him a look. "Wouldn't do much good now would it?"

Carl grinned. "No. We're just gonna talk about things. I don't even know if we will do _that_ or not." He leaned against the outside of the building next to Daryl.

Daryl snorted. "Ya can't even say sex?" Carl watched him stub out his cigarette and slip the butt into his pocket.

"I remembered a time when you an' Carol used to dance around each other, each of you too afraid to make the first move." Carl smirked.

Daryl scowled. "Don't make me kick yer ass Carl. We both know I may be older, but I can still take ya down."

Carl chuckled. "The day will come when you're too old to take me on."

Daryl smiled. "Yeah, the day I die." He retorted. They both laughed and then grew silent for a few moments, each of them thinking about Rick. They rarely talked about it but Carl knew they both thought of his dad from time to time.

It had been Carl who had put his dad down. Daryl had tried to talk him out of it, saying that he didn't have to shoulder that responsibility but Carl knew it had to be him. He had been the one to put his mom down after Judith had been born and he would be the one to put his dad down as well. His mind flashed back to his last moments with his dad.

_None of them had seen the attack coming. It was safe to say that they had let their guard down somewhat after not having seen as many walkers as they used to. The walker had come out of the woods as they had stood there contemplating on taking over the place that they now called home. They had all been alight with excitement over the possibility of being able to stay in real houses. They hadn't seen the walker until it was too late. Rick had been taken off guard and the walker had taken a chunk out of his neck before he could so much as react. _

_The women had gasped and a couple of them had screamed. Carl had stood there in utter shock as Daryl and Glenn had run over to take care of the walker and help his dad. Finally, he had willed his feet to move and he had walked over to his dad who had been bleeding from his neck profusely. They had backed up to give him his space and he had fell to his knees next to him. _

_Gripping his dad's hand he had watched as his dad tried to focus on him through the pain. He barely remembered Judith crying somewhere behind him. _

_"Carl." Rick had whispered. _

_Carl had fought back the tears as he had remembered a similar scene with his mother not too long ago. He was becoming a man now, and men didn't cry. They held their emotions inside and continued forward with their life. Except he had let that one lone tear escape from his eye and his dad had spotted it before Carl had swiped it away angrily._

_"Carl...y-you take care of your sister, okay? Stay with the group and he...help Daryl." Rick had paused to cough up some blood and Carl could see him slipping away. He could only sit in silence and stare at his dad, not knowing what to say. He had thought of so many things he could have told him afterwards but while watching him die, none of those things had come to mind. He had just stared at his dad, willing him to read his thoughts and what he had wanted to say but couldn't. They had all remained still and quiet until Rick had taken his last breath, his grip around Carl's hand going slack._

_Daryl had placed a hand upon his shoulder. "Carl. Why don't ya let me handle this?"_

_Carl had been angry. He had jerked away from Daryl then. "No! He's my dad. I'll take care of this." He had shouted in anger. _

_Daryl had simply stood there and then he nodded softly before leading the rest of the group away to give him his space. He hadn't been able to wait until his dad had turned. He had just summoned up all of his courage and pulled the trigger. _

Even to this day he could still hear the echo of that gunshot in his mind. They had buried his dad inside of the fences and towards the back of the property. It had been a small ceremony and Carol had been the one to find a stone to mark the grave with.

Things were quiet between them now and then Daryl reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He passed it over to Carl without a word and Carl looked down at the box of condoms in his hand. He knew it was probably hard for Daryl to do that but he didn't know what to say.

"I better go. Beth will be waiting." He said instead.

Daryl nodded and then reached into his pocket for another cigarette. As Carl turned to walk away Daryl spoke up.

"Hey Carl." He called. Carl stopped but didn't turn around.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"He woulda been proud of ya, ya know." There was a silence and Carl could smell the scent of the cigarette floating through the air.

"He would have been proud of you too." Carl muttered before walking off.

...

Carl saw the dim light of the lantern through the window as he approached the house. He could just make out Beth's figure inside the tiny room. She was leaning back against the wall, sleeping. He smiled as he let himself inside quietly. He walked over silently and sat down next to her, taking her hand in his. She jerked awake and then sighed as she saw his face in the muted light.

"You scared me to death." She remarked.

He smirked. "Sorry. I didn't mean to keep you waiting." He replied as he traced patterns over her palm with his fingers.

She smiled. "It's okay. I just haven't been sleeping well."

He frowned. "Why?"

She leaned her head against his shoulder and snuggled into him. "Just thinking about things...life." She muttered.

Carl rested his head against the wall, his eyes alert to any movements from outside. Even though they were relatively safe behind the fences and walls of the houses, he had gotten accustomed to being on the alert for any and everything at all times. She yawned against his shoulder. "So what did you want to talk about?" She asked.

The box of condoms burned a hole in his pocket as he sat there trying to think of how to start. "I uh..." He groaned in frustration. "I want to be with you Beth. I wanted to know if you felt the same about me." He blurted. He felt her sit up straight next to him. He snuck a glance at her and saw that she was staring at him.

"I care about you Carl. You know that. I'm just not sure what you mean. Are you talking about sex?" She asked.

He could feel his face flame a little. "Not necessarily. It's just. We kiss...and sometimes you let me touch you but I don't know if you feel about me how I feel about you." He tried to think of what he wanted to say but it seemed like the words were coming out all wrong.

She shifted so that she was sitting in front of him. "I love you Carl, if that's what you're asking."

He stared into her blue eyes that had become such a comfort to him over these last couple of years. He swallowed back his emotion. "I love you too." He said softly.

She smiled at him and leaned forward to kiss him. He was lost as soon as her lips touched his as usual. Any clear thought in his mind was vanished at the taste of her sweetness. When they finally pulled away, he was breathing heavily. He watched her as she slid her hands under his shirt tentavely and he groaned as they made contact with his bare skin. Not being able to hold back, he shifted them until he was lying half over her on the wooden floor. She tugged on his shirt and he maneuvered his arms so that she could pull it over his head. He felt like his body was on fire as her hands smoothed over the hard planes of his back. He felt them travel down his sides and he tensed as she brushed her fingers over the bulky box in his pocket. He hoped she would keep going but she pulled back to stare at him curiously.

"What's that?" She asked.

He groaned to himself. "Nothin'."

She narrowed her eyes and dug into his pocket until she pulled out the box of condoms. He pulled away from her, his face red, as she stared at the box in the dim light.

"Jesus, Carl. How many did you think we needed?" She whispered.

He hung his head in embarassment. "I didn't. They're from Daryl." He muttered.

She gasped. "Daryl knows? Oh no. Carl!" She groaned and pulled away from him. "Now Maggie's gonna find out!"

He grabbed up his shirt and slipped it back on knowing the moment was long gone. He slid closer to her and cupped her face. "He won't say anything. Daryl's not like that. I promise. He just wanted me to have them. Just in case." He said softly.

She relaxed a little and he tugged her closer until she was in his lap. She laid her head down onto his chest with a sigh. "I'm sorry," She whispered. "I just saw them and kind of freaked out. It's not like I haven't thought about it. I'm just not sure I'm ready yet."

Carl let out a deep breath and tried to keep himself from grinning at the fact that she had thought about it. "That's fine. I can wait."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

He had waited this long so what difference did a little longer make? It wasn't like they were going anywhere any time soon and now he knew that she did in fact love him. He could deal with whatever else happened. He would protect her with his last breath.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Absolutely."


	4. Chapter 4

****AN: Wow, I'm on a roll today! For those of you who follow my other fics, I've been able to post up some other chapters for those as well...If you're not following them, what are you waiting for? LOL! Anyway, thanks again for the lovely responses to this story! I'm pretty happy with it so far and I hope you all are too. It's taken me some time to see Carl as an older young man in this story, but I think I'm finally getting there. He's almost like a miniature version of Daryl in a way. It's so stinkin' cute! This is the first time I've ever tried to write Cath before, so I hope I'm doing it justice so far. Enjoy! :)**

**...**

When Glenn came to take over watch for Daryl he was ready. It had been a long night with nothing going on. There had only been one lone walker staggering about and Daryl had played with it a while out of boredom before putting his knife through its skull.

The sun was getting ready to crest over the horizon as Daryl made his way to his bedroom. As usual he paused a moment to peek in at a sleeping Judith before opening the door to the room he shared with Carol. He could just barely make out her sleeping form underneath the covers on the bed and he smirked at the way she was cuddled up into a ball. Daryl found out that if he wasn't around to sleep next to her, she slept scrunched up into a tight ball all night. If he slept with her, she ended up tangled all into him like a pretzel. At the moment, nothing seemed more inviting than his bed though, and he quickly shed himself of his clothes and slipped under the covers next to her.

As usual when he wrapped an arm around her, she turned and snuggled into his chest. He lay there for a few minutes just stroking her back and shoulders as he tried to wind down enough to fall asleep.

"I missed you." Carol whispered sleepily.

He glanced down at the top of her head. He hadn't known that she was awake. "Did ya?" He asked with a yawn.

She raised her head up to smile at him. "Of course I did. I hate when you have night shift guard duty."

Daryl didn't like it either. Fortunately, they didn't have to do it too often. Between them, they usually only had to do one night shift each per week. They wouldn't even have to do it that often if they had more people in their group, but they didn't. This was the smallest Daryl believed he had ever seen their group. He wasn't aching to add anyone else to it though. These people had all formed a bond with one another and he wouldn't be so sure about adding an outsider into the mix.

"Me too." Daryl replied. "There's lots other things I coulda been in here doin'." He mumbled.

Carol giggled. "Well we have time now." She raised a brow in question.

Daryl perked up a little. "Well whatcha waitin' on woman? Get out them clothes!" He growled as he started trying to rid her of her clothes and she squealed beneath him.

...

"Uncle Darrryylll...you awake?" A tiny female voice broke through Daryl's consciousness to ask. Daryl groaned and tried to pull the blanket over his head but Judith was persistent. She crawled up further in the bed until she was sitting on his blanket covered chest. "Uncle Daryl?" She asked.

Daryl sighed. There was no way he was getting back to sleep now. Once Judith got it in her mind that she thought it was time you got up, there wasn't much stopping her. He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep, but judging from the light coming in through the window, he figured it was around lunchtime. It was probably time to get up anyway. He let out a growl from underneath the covers and Judith squealed and climbed off of him to perch on the end of the bed.

"Hmm...Where is Jude? If I find her, I get to tickle her." Daryl's called out.

Judith giggled and he felt the bed shift as she climbed down. "You can't find me Uncle Daryl. I's indivisible." She whispered.

Daryl cracked a smile from underneath the blanket at her. Occasionally she would pronounce some of her words wrong, but he hadn't the heart to correct her. He supposed that the little girl had stolen his heart in a way. She was the kid he had never got to have. She was more his and Carol's kid than anyone else's anyway. He heard her soft padded footsteps pause by the door and he shifted underneath the covers before letting out a growl. She shrieked and ran out of the door. He chuckled and slipped out of the covers. He hurriedly slipped into his pants before she could come back in and then made his way into the kitchen. Carol was already there making sandwiches for lunch. He spotted Judith immediately. She had positioned herself between Carol and the counter as she made her sandwiches. He pretended not to notice her as he walked past, stealing a kiss from Carol before grabbing a mug for some coffee.

As he prepared his coffee, Judith let out a giggle. He looked at Carol who was holding her hand over her mouth in an attempt not to laugh. He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed.

"Carol have ya seen Jude?" He asked.

Carol shook her head as she bit back her laughter. "No."

Daryl sighed. "I s'pose she don't want ta go out an' check traps with me this morning. Oh well." He shrugged and waited for Judith to take the bait. It only took a few seconds. Judith burst out from behind Carol.

"Here I am! I wanna go!" She exclaimed. She launched herself at Daryl and he caught her easily.

"Hmm...Well yer gonna need some long pants an' some boots. Ya know tha rules Jude." Daryl told her.

She nodded and scrambled out of his arms. "I'll be ready in five minutes Daryl!" She yelled as she ran to her room.

...

Carl sighed in boredom as he worked on some more bolts for his bow. He sat under one of the trees outside and waited for Beth. She hadn't come outside yet and he wondered what was up. He had seen Maggie and Glenn leave a little while ago, but still no Beth. Finally he grabbed his bow and shouldered it, making his way over to the house. He glanced around before opening the door, but everyone was busy elsewhere doing whatever it was that needed to be done for the day. He pushed open the front door and was greeted with a loud silence.

"Beth?" He called out. There was no response and he checked into the living room and kitchen finding them empty. He frowned and began climbing the stairs towards her room. At the top of the stairs he called out again. "Beth?"

He paused as he heard a muffled sob and then he jogged over to her bedroom door and tried to twist the knob. It was locked. He rattled the doorknob, his heart pounding, as he clearly heard the sob again.

"Beth! So help me, ya better open this door or I'm gonna fucking beat it down!" He yelled. He waited for a few seconds and then grabbed his knife from his pocket. It took him a matter of seconds to pop the flimsy lock on the door and he pushed it open frantically. His eyes searched the room for a threat before settling on Beth who was sitting on the floor against her bed crying. Her back was to him and he walked over quickly in concern. He paused at the sight of the drops of blood that dotted the floor in front of her. He dropped to his knees in a panic.

"Fuck, Beth. What happened?" He asked softly. She was holding her wrist and sobbing loudly now. He didn't wait for a response and instead pried her fingers from her wrist to see that she had cut herself. Frowning up at her he looked around until he found one of her shirts lying on the floor. Picking it up, he used his hands to rip the material into a strip that he wrapped around her bleeding wrist. She didn't look at him, instead she sat there limply and let him wrap her up.

His heart was pounding. He didn't understand why she would do this again. She hadn't done this since the farm. He hadn't even had any idea that she was unhappy. Satisfied he had momentarily stopped the bleeding he tipped her tear streaked face up to his. She kept her eyes closed and occasionally a sob would escape her lips. Using the pads of his fingers, he swiped at her tears. He sat down and pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"You've gotta talk to me." He murmured. Finally her crying began to taper off and she clung to him.

"I'm s..so..sorry." She whimpered. His gut clenched at those words.

"What the hell happened? Were you trying to kill yourself?" He asked. She didn't respond for a few minutes and then he felt her nod slightly against his chest. His chest tightened at her response. "Why?" He asked.

She clung to him tighter, her fingers digging into his shoulders but he didn't care. The only thing that mattered to him at the moment was figuring out why the person he loved the most in this world was trying to leave him.

"I...I don't know. I'm just tired Carl." She whispered finally.

"So you were gonna leave me?" He rasped, his throat dry. This brought about a fresh round of tears and he sighed and pulled her closer, trying to figure out what to say. She didn't respond and they sat there together, his arms wrapped tightly around her as is if he were afraid she would slip away from him.

...

Daryl walked the traps he had set with Judith bouncing along beside him happily. So far he had five squirrels and that had been it. They had two more traps to check and Daryl was hoping for something with a little more meat on it. He got his wish when Judith ran excitedly over to the last two traps which had been set pretty close to one another.

"Uncle Daryl! Wabbits!" She exclaimed.

Daryl knelt down and examined the two cages. Sure enough, they had caught themselves two good sized rabbits. He couldn't help the grin that broke out on his face. His mind was already forming ideas on a way to try and breed them instead of killing them for food. He grabbed up the two cages, causing the rabbits to scurry around in fear.

"I want ta hold one! I want ta hold one!" Judith shouted.

"Shh! Jude ya know ya can't be makin' noise like that out here." Daryl scolded her gently. She looked down at her shoes.

"Sorry." She muttered. Daryl immediately felt bad. He didn't like scolding her and the little girl knew it.

"Here," He held one of the cages out to her. "Ya gotta be gentle though. Don't drop it." He warned as she held out her hands and gingerly wrapped them around the cage. He watched her little face light up with excitement and he felt glad that he could bring that to her. In this world, there were few things left to be excited about anymore.

He scanned the area around them for any signs that her enthusiasm had alerted any walkers to their presence. Satisfied that the coast was clear, they made their way back down to the houses, eager to show off their new furry friends.


	5. Chapter 5

****AN: Welcome to the next addition to our story! Glad to see that you all are enjoying it! It's still a little slow right now as we get to know our characters in this setting so please keep that in mind! I'll do my best to make it memorable and exciting! Thanks for reading! I truly LOVE getting those reviews! It makes me write faster! Thanks! :)**

**...**

Glenn was the one who opened the gate up when Daryl and Judith came strolling back up with their new finds. He eyed the rabbits with interest as he shut the gate back behind them.

"Wow. It's been a while since we've seen any rabbits." He remarked. Judith thrust her cage towards Glenn so forcefully it almost knocked the unsuspecting man over.

"Look Gwenn, wabbits!" She cried.

Glenn smiled at her. "I see Jude! They're awesome!" He looked at Daryl over Judith's head, clearly unsure if he should be egging her on if the rabbits were to be intended for dinner soon.

"I'm thinkin' 'bout breedin' 'em. Get us a whole mess of 'em if'n we can." Daryl commented. He conveniently left out the part about eventually eating them. Judith didn't need to know all those details yet. She was already cooing to them through the cages. Hopefully if they got enough, she wouldn't notice if one or two disappeared here and there.

"Are they two different sexes?" Glenn asked. He peered down into the cages.

Daryl shrugged. "I dunno. Don't know much 'bout breedin' rabbits. Figured Maggie might be able ta tell us somethin'. Ain't she our farm girl?"

"What's sexist?" Judith asked. She turned towards Glenn and squinted up at him in the bright sun.

Glenn flushed a little and cleared his throat. "Uh, it's s_exes_ Jude. That just means that one is a boy and one is a girl."

Judith scrunched up her nose as she considered this. "How do ya tell? Is it because boy's have a wee wee?"

Daryl and Glenn both went red and Glenn began coughing. Daryl slapped him on the back and almost cried in relief as Carol spotted them and began walking over. Judith, however, was still hung up on the differences between boys and girls. She still had a look of concentration on her face. Daryl silently willed Carol to hurry up so that she might be able to help them out of this situation. He didn't know what to tell a four year old and Glenn was too busy choking just from being asked so he was being no help either.

"So that means you two have wee wee's?" Judith asked.

Daryl groaned. He noticed Glenn beginning to back slowly away from the conversation and he narrowed his eyes. "Where tha hell ya goin'?" He hissed.

Glenn held up his hands in surrender. "Hey man. She's your kid. Rick left her to _you_." Glenn turned and almost ran back into the guard shack.

"Pussy." Daryl muttered. Carol finally made it over to them and smiled at the two of them.

"Where did Glenn go?" She asked.

Before Daryl could respond, Judith interrupted him. "Aunt Carol, what's a pussy?"

Carol gasped and shot Daryl a loaded look. Daryl sighed and wished that the earth would open up and suck him under so that he could disappear from this conversation altogether. He kept forgetting that Judith was a sponge lately and she would absorb any and everything she heard. He knelt down to his knees beside her.

"Why don't you take this rabbit over to Maggie over there and see if she can tell you if it's a boy or a girl? I'll be right behind you in a minute." He coaxed. He watched as she thought about it and then decided that she would do just that. She grinned and took off as fast as her little legs would carry her towards Maggie, who had stopped what she had been doing to try and figure out what was going on.

As soon as she was out of hearing range, Carol turned to him with her hands on her lips.

"What was that all about Daryl?" She asked.

Daryl shrugged. "It jus' slipped out." He replied. He raised his voice so that certain ears nearby could hear him. "And _somebody_ was bein' a chicken an' left my ass out here!" He could hear Glenn snicker from his post somewhere behind him.

He wrapped his arms around Carol and pulled her flush against him for a kiss. He was hoping to distract her from the lecture he was clearly getting ready to be a party too and it worked. As soon as his tongue slipped in her mouth to tangle with hers, she melted against him like butter. He was briefly distracted himself as he deepened the kiss. He could feel himself growing hard and he pulled away while he still could. Her face was flush and he could tell she was feeling it too.

"Meet me at tha house. Ten minutes." He said firmly and he grabbed up the rabbit cage before hurrying in Maggie's direction.

...

Carl wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there holding Beth. She still had yet to tell him why she had attempted to take her own life again. He hadn't understood it when he had heard about it on the farm and he still didn't now. She was such a vibrant, beautiful, woman and it just didn't add up.

The bleeding had slowed considerably from her wrists and now that his shock had settled, he began to wonder how they were going to break this to Maggie and Glenn. Maggie wasn't likely to take the news lightly. She was very protective over Beth, but she had eased up some since they had started seeing each other more. She used to hover terribly when Carl had first started hanging around Beth in more than a friendly sense. At least now she realized that they were both entering adulthood and more capable of making their own decisions in life. He was glad of that because sometimes Maggie could be a bit much in his opinion.

He was glad that Beth's sniffles had calmed down considerably to just a whimper every now and again. He wasn't experienced in dealing with hysterical females. He wasn't even experienced in dealing with a_ny_ female.

"Carl?" She whispered.

He glanced down at the top of her head. "Yeah?"

"Please don't tell Maggie." She sniffed and sat up to stare at him. Her eyes were red and puffy.

Carl wasn't so sure about that. If he kept this from her sister and Maggie ended up finding out anyway, she was liable to kill him. He didn't want that kind of drama from her. She was just getting comfortable with the two of them now. Maggie Greene was fierce when she wanted to be. Carl groaned. "You know she'll find out. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on you. I don't want you sneaking around and tryin' this again."

Beth nodded. "I know. I couldn't do it. I tried, but I panicked. I'm done. I won't try again." She whispered.

Carl grabbed her arms in frustration. "Why, Beth? Why did you do it?" His voice shook with his barely controlled anger. She looked at him in startled surprise. He had never lost his temper with her.

His heart clenched as Beth began crying fresh tears. He hadn't meant to startle her. "I don't know! I don't have an answer for you Carl!"

Carl stood up and crossed over to the doorway. He was torn. One one hand he wanted to leave out of frustration, but on the other, he was scared that if he did it might make her try it again. He stopped at the door with his back to her and his hand on the doorknob.

"You know I've lost everyone but Jude and you. You two are all I have left in this world. You can't leave me." He said softly. He didn't wait for any sort of response as he exited the room and headed back outside to blow off some steam.

...

Daryl impatiently waited while Maggie checked and confirmed that the two rabbits were indeed of the opposite sexes. Daryl was excited, but his excitement was shadowed by his other excitement: Carol. The fact that he had told her to give him ten minutes was making him anxious to go to her. He knew it had been at least ten minutes or more and now he just wanted to slip away from Maggie and go to her.

"What's wrong with you Daryl? You're all jumpy like you have to pee or something." Maggie asked.

"I gotta go check on some stuff. Ya think ya can watch Jude for me?" He asked instead.

She looked at the little girl who was busy playing with the rabbits and then back at him. "Sure. I don't mind." She barely finished her sentence before Daryl was turning and almost jogging back to his house in his excitement to get to Carol.

He entered the house and checked to see if Carl was in his room. Sighing gratefully at the empty room, he crossed over to the bedroom he shared with Carol. As he opened the door, it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room. Carol had obviously drawn the shades and although he could vaguely see because of the light shining through the curtains, it still took a moment for him to adjust. He locked the door behind him as he entered.

"It took you long enough. I was getting lonely up here all by myself." Carol teased. His eyes finally focused enough for him to just make out her figure on the bed. He hoped she was naked because he was aching and ready to go. He quickly crossed to the bed, shedding himself of all of his clothing.

"Damn Maggie kept goin' on an' on 'bout them damn rabbits." He grumbled as he crawled onto the bed and swept his hand out to grab her around the waist. She giggled a little as he yanked her closer to him. He was pleased to find that she was already naked. His hands glided eagerly over her breasts and he bent his head, his mouth seeking out her nipple. She groaned as he sucked them into hard little peaks. He grinned as she bucked underneath him, begging him for more. "Easy woman." He muttered.

"You would think I wouldn't be so turned on since we just did this early this morning." She panted.

Daryl didn't respond and instead trailed his hand down her quivering belly and into her slick folds. He dipped his finger in softly, teasing her with light and easy strokes. She tangled her fingers into his shaggy hair and tugged gently, causing him to let out a low groan. He moved his lips back to her mouth as he inserted a second finger into her wetness. She was moaning lightly beneath him now, caught up in her passion. He loved the feeling he got from making her feel pleasure. It seemed like he could never get enough of her. Maybe all that time they had spent dancing around one another had made it that much more intense once they had gotten together. He didn't know because he didn't really have anybody to compare her too. He hadn't exactly been experienced before Carol.

Judging from her sighs and moans beneath him, he was obviously doing something right now though. He grinned to himself as he latched onto her nipple again. He swirled his tongue over the hard peak and she gasped and then shuddered beneath him as she had her orgasm. Removing his fingers, he situated himself over her and let out a growl as he drove into her. She lifted her legs slightly and wrapped them around his lower back, driving him in deeper into her slick heat. He thrust in nice and slow at first, holding back a little each time until she groaned in frustration beneath him.

"Daryl!" She half-growled at him.

He chuckled and began picking up the pace, losing himself inside of her. When she clenched around him, arching her back and vibrating, he spilled himself inside of her. Breathing heavily he pulled out and flopped down next to her, his passion spent. She rolled over immediately and curled into him, kissing his chest softly.

"I love you." She whispered.

His arm tightened around her protectively. "Love ya too woman."


	6. Chapter 6

Daryl had just barely gotten his clothes on and had wrapped his arms around Carol for another kiss when there was a pounding on the door. Frowning, he exchanged a glance with Carol before opening the door. It was unusual for anyone to come and knock on their door unless it was an emergency. They hadn't had an emergency in so long that Daryl was momentarily perplexed. Maggie stood on the other side of the door, panting heavily. She looked relieved to have found him.

"Thank God! We've been lookin' all over for you two! We've got a situation. There's two people at the gate and a herd coming through. Tyreese, Glenn, and Michonne are already down there." Maggie gasped and drew in a deep gulp of air.

Daryl immediately grabbed his bow from behind the door as Carol began shoving her feet into her shoes. He didn't wait on the two women as he took off outside towards the gates. The first thing he noticed was that it was oddly quiet for there to be a herd. Then as he looked off into the distance, he saw why. The herd hadn't made it to them yet, but it had crested the hill and would potentially be upon them in a matter of minutes. He vaguely saw the two new people by the entrance to the gate being held by Michonne as he rushed by them to Glenn and Tyreese.

"What tha hell? I leave fer ten minutes an' all hell breaks loose?" He grumbled.

Glenn gave him an incredulous look. "Ten minutes? Check again Cassanova. It's been more like an hour. And it isn't our fault. Those two came running at the gate for dear life. They were screaming about a herd so we let them in."

Daryl shot another glance towards them. There was a young black female and she had a white male companion with her. They seemed harmless enough but Daryl didn't have time to analyze them as he began thinking of what they needed to do to fortify themselves against this herd. He was pretty sure the fences would hold, but they would still have to take out the herd. Carol and Maggie came running over to them a few seconds later.

"Where tha hell is Carl?" Daryl asked.

"I haven't seen Beth either." Maggie added as she looked around with an expression of concern.

Daryl cursed. They needed Carl up here. He was a damn good fighter and this was going to take all hands on deck from what he could tell. They could even use Beth, even though she wasn't much help when it came to fighting.

"I'm goin' ta find Carl. Hold it down for a minute til' I get back." He told them.

Glenn gave a humorless laugh. "Right. Better make that quick." He said softly.

Daryl took off towards the houses, his eyes scanning for any sign of Carl or Beth. He figured them both to be together. He stopped at Maggie and Glenn's house first and pounded on the door before thrusting it open.

"Beth! Carl!" He shouted. He waited a minute and finally Beth's face appeared over the railing upstairs. He was taken aback by how pale she was, but he didn't have much time to dwell on it with the herd closing in.

"Here. It's just me though. Is everything okay?" Beth asked softly.

"Shit. We need ya at tha gate. We got newcomers an' a herd. Get down there as quick as ya can." Without waiting for an answer, he turned to leave the porch and almost ran into Carl.

"Jesus, Carl! Where tha hell ya been?" Daryl growled.

Carl ignored the question. "I heard you say herd. Let's go." Carl took off down the steps, leaving Daryl with no choice but to follow.

...

Carl grabbed his bow as he headed to the gate and fixed himself to the side of the gate, prepared to take out as many walkers as possible before they got too close. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Daryl had already set himself up on the other end, apparently having the same thoughts as him. There didn't look to be too many, maybe fifteen or twenty walkers at best. He could see how that would be a problem for just two people though. They didn't even appear to have any weapons on them that he could see. He shook his head and aimed his bow to fire off an arrow.

He and Daryl let arrows fly for a good ten minutes and by the time the herd reached the gate, there were a total of five walkers left that Michonne quickly slipped out of the gate to take care of with two swipes of her katana. He and Daryl followed after her out of the gate and collected their arrows before returning back inside. He followed Daryl over to the newcomers. He saw Beth standing to the side out of the corner of his eye and he noticed that she had changed into a long sleeved shirt. He stared at her for a few moments, but she wouldn't meet his eyes. He frowned and then focused his attention back to Daryl. He would have to talk to Beth later.

...

Daryl eyed the two newcomers warily. It had been a while since they had encountered anyone new and he could tell the rest of the group was hesitant as well. He didn't see any weapons and he wondered how they had even survived to this point.

"Ya gotta group?" Daryl asked.

The man looked at him with a confused expression. He turned to his companion. "What did he just say?" He tried to whisper, but Daryl could hear him as clearly as if he had been speaking directly to him. The woman elbowed the man, making him wince and rub his side.

Daryl rolled his eyes. "I _said_, do ya got a group or are ya alone?"

The woman punched the man in the shoulder. "Didn't I tell you to let me do the talkin'? Damn, now you gotta go and piss this guy off! Is I gotta do _everything_?" She had one hand on her hip. She turned to Daryl and smiled. "It's just us, sugar. My name is Veronica and this is Adam."

"What are you doing here?" Carl asked. Daryl realized that the boy had been standing to his left the whole time and he hadn't even paid him any mind.

Adam started to speak but Veronica silenced him with a look. "We were a part of a bigger group but they got bit or eaten or whatever the hell ya wanna call it. Either way you wanna look at it, they dead. We still here, but for the life of me I can't tell you how either of us made it this far. This guy," she pointed at Adam, "has the fighting skills of a damn white girl in a high school hair pulling fight."

Adam crossed his arms and gave her a pouty expression. "You're always hatin' on me Ronnie. At least I don't run around in circles antagonizing them. You're just jealous because if I was a girl, I would be prettier than you."

Daryl watched the two of them in astonishment. He had never encountered anyone like them in his life. He was quickly getting the sense that the two of them were of no threat to them whatsoever but he still needed to talk it over with the group. Taking in two people was a big change, especially in food.

"How did you guys kill walkers without any weapons?" Michonne asked.

Veronica turned to her and then her eyes widened. "Holy hell! What the fuck kinda ghetto shit is that?" She pointed at Michonne's blade.

"It's a katana." Michonne replied.

"Damn, it's got its own name? If I had had me one of them katata things when I stayed in the ghetto, I bet no one would have said shit to me." Veronica said.

Michonne cracked a small smile. "It serves its purpose."

Daryl stepped forward. "If yer looking for shelter, I can talk it over with the others to see about you staying." He said.

Adam smiled at him. "You know, rednecks aren't usually my type, but you're kinda cute." He winked at Daryl.

Daryl paused as his face went slightly red and he cleared his throat as several in the group snickered. He felt Carol touch his arm and he could feel her body vibrating with laughter. Scowling, he waved his group off to the side. He looked around at their smiling faces and sighed.

"Cut it out! That shit ain't funny!" Daryl growled. This only caused them to snicker harder.

"I think it's hilarious! Are we voting now? Because I vote yes. They're better than TV." Glenn said. Daryl shot him a look which he ignored.

Maggie nodded. "I agree. They seem harmless and we could use the extra help on runs so that the rest of us aren't left so defenseless."

"Like they're going to be much help. Somebody is gonna have to train them. I vote no." Carl commented.

"They could help out in other ways like feeding the animals and helping clean. I think we should give them a shot. If we don't, they will surely die out there." Tyreese said.

Daryl held up a hand. "Alright, enough. We'll do it by a show o' hands. All those in favor, raise yer hand." Everyone but Carl raised his hand and Daryl grimaced. "I guess we got us two new members then."

He heard a big whoop behind him and they all turned to see Veronica jump excitedly. "Hell yeah! Ain't nothin' gonna get us now Adam! We got us a black ninja!"

...

Carl wasn't sure about the two new faces to the group. They seemed like they would just be a liability in his opinion. They did seem harmless though, so that was a plus. The man had long black hair that was pulled back from his face. He wore dirty blue jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers. The woman had short black hair and wore pretty much the same thing the man did. They weren't even carrying any backpacks or anything.

He ran a hand through his shaggy black hair and scanned for Beth again. He frowned. Somewhere in the chaos, she must have disappeared from the crowd. He started to head in the direction of her house when he spotted her talking to Maggie off to the side and a few feet away from the group. From the looks on their faces, the talk was not going well at all. He watched as Maggie reached out her hand and yanked up Beth's sleeve.

"I can't believe you!" Maggie's voice carried over to where he was standing and he saw Glenn glance in their direction as well before coming to stand next to him.

"What's going on?" Glenn asked him.

Carl shot one last look at Beth and Maggie before turning to Glenn. He may as well go ahead and tell him. Maggie knew about it now, so Glenn would too sooner or later. "Beth made another suicide attempt."

Glenn's eyes grew wide. "Is she okay? Do we need to have Carol check her?"

Carol had become the unofficial "doctor" for the group. She was great when it came to patching people up, but she was a far cry from the real thing. She had managed to handle a couple of bullet wounds over the last couple of years, but thankfully they hadn't had anything more serious that over the counter medicine wouldn't cure. Still, she knew the most about doctoring than anyone else in the group did, so she retained her doctor title until someone more qualified came along.

Carl shrugged. "I caught her. It didn't seem too bad. I got the bleeding to stop. She wouldn't tell me why she did it though."

Glenn studied the two women who were now talking quietly. Beth was crying and judging by the quiet, he was pretty sure Maggie was too. Glenn let out a deep breath. "I don't get it. She hasn't been acting sad."

"I don't either. I can't believe she would do something this stupid." Carl watched as Beth jerked away from Maggie's touch and took off running towards their house. His eyes followed her until he saw her disappear inside the front door. Maggie made her way over to them, her face a mixture of worry and anger.

She pointed her finger at Carl's chest. "What did you do?" She hissed.

His expression quickly became guarded. "What did _I_ do? You assume this is my fault?" His voice took on an angry tone. _She was going to blame this on him? _He had been the one to be there for Beth _every_ time she needed a shoulder to cry on. Now here was Maggie, trying to point blame at him. He wasn't going to stand for this. He didn't _have _to stand for this.

Maggie swiped at the tears streaking down her face. Glenn tried to place his arm around her waist, but she pulled away from him. "I know she snuck out of the house to see you last night. She was fine before she left, so you must have said something to her! What did you say?" Maggie demanded.

Carl shook his head in disgust. Without a word, he turned and headed for the gates, ignoring Glenn who called his name. He was so done with the bullshit. He didn't need all this drama; he really didn't. No way was he going to sit around while the woman he loved the most tried to kill herself. He just wasn't going to watch that. He had put down too many people he had cared about over the years. He yanked open the gates and felt a heavy hand fall upon his shoulder. He recognized the touch as Daryl without having to turn. He had placed his hand there many times over the years. The gesture reminded him of the way his dad used to place his hand in the same spot when he had something serious he needed to say. Carl stood there stiffly, waiting on him to say what he needed to say.

"Carl." Daryl uttered the one word.

"Let me go Daryl." He ground out.

"Ya don't need ta do this. We can fix this. Don't go out there pissed off. You'll only get yerself killed." Daryl's voice was heavy with emotion.

Carl swallowed a lump in his throat. "Y'all don't need me. I can take care of myself." He shrugged off Daryl's hand and passed through the fence, not looking back.

"What 'bout Jude? Ya jus' gon' leave her?" Daryl's strained voice called to him.

Carl flinched at the mention of his sister and he paused. He couldn't very well take her with him though. She would be safer if he left her with Daryl and Carol. She deserved a chance to have two parents. She deserved a shot at normal. He turned back towards Daryl and met his frustrated expression.

"Take care of my sister for me Daryl." He turned and walked away.

...

****AN: Wow! I didn't intend on all of this happening but sometimes my mind gets carried away. Drama, drama, drama. So we have two new people. What do you all think? I'd love some feedback as we continue on our journey! Thanks everyone! You are all awesome! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

****AN: Sorry for my absence! It's not much, but it's something. I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks for the reviews, they do help, and I appreciate them all. Please review if you feel so inclined. Thanks! :)**

**...**

It had only been a couple of hours since Carl had left the others, and he was still no where close to working out his frustrations. There were a number of emotions running through him at the moment and he wasn't sure how to deal with them all. He only knew that he didn't want to be around any of the others.

He hadn't strayed far from their home. He had only traveled about half of a mile before he doubled back so that he could watch the group from the camoflauge of the trees. He sat on a tree branch and watched the others as they moved around, his long legs swinging below him. He wasn't sure at this point if he was simply waiting until he felt like he had his shit together or if he was actually really leaving. He knew deep down that he couldn't _really_ leave, at least not forever anyway. This was the only thing close to family that he had left and he knew he wouldn't ever be happy on his own.

He pulled out a granola bar he had stuck in his pocket this morning and tore open the wrapper, his stomach growling as he took a bite. It wasn't exactly gourmet, but it would have to do for now. He finished it off in three bites but the granola did nothing to ease his hunger. He sighed and swung his legs up so that he could rest his back against the tree. He cast one last glance down at the group and then closed his eyes. Within moments, he was asleep.

...

Daryl watched as Maggie took Adam and Veronica over to one of the two unoccupied houses. He wasn't sure about taking in two more mouths to feed, but they seemed harmless enough. He kind of felt bad for them in way. He knew that if they sent them on their way, they would surely die. It was a wonder to him how they had even made it _this _far.

He stood near the gates, casting glances in the direction that Carl had taken off in. He was worried about him. Carl was almost an adult now and he had more than proven he could take care of himself, but Daryl still didn't know everything that had happened. There was too much going on for him to keep up. All he knew was that Maggie had been really pissed at Carl and they had exchanged words before Carl had decided to storm out. It seemed like there was either nothing going on or everything at once. They could never seem to find a balance between the two.

He watched as Carol stopped and pulled Maggie aside to speak with her. He saw Carol's face tense up and then she began walking over to him. He waited until she came to a stop in front of him. She crossed her arms and sighed.

"It appears that Beth made another suicide attempt." She said.

Daryl frowned. He hadn't seen that one coming. "What tha hell for?"

Carol shrugged. "I don't know. Maggie wants me to go talk to her, but I don't really know what to say to her."

"Jude still asleep?" Daryl asked.

She nodded. "She should be up any time though. Thankfully, she slept through the whole ordeal. She's going to be upset that Carl is gone."

Daryl sighed and gnawed at his thumb. He really wanted a cigarette. "I'll give him til tomorrow mornin', then I'm gonna go look fer him."

"Do you think he'll stay out all night?" She asked.

Daryl shrugged. "I ain't gotta clue. He was pretty pissed though."

Carol looked off towards the trees, more than likely scanning for a glimpse of Carl. He knew she had grown fond of Carl over the years. They both had. "Maggie shouldn't have yelled at him like that. Now he's out there with no food." She said worriedly.

"I agree. It weren't right of her ta take it out on Carl. Wasn't his fault that she tried ta kill herself. They call it suicide fer a reason." Daryl commented.

Carol shuffled her feet. "Well I guess I'll go see if I can talk to Beth. I think Maggie might strangle her if she tries to talk to her right now." Carol leaned over and pressed a kiss to his lips. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held her there for a few minutes. When she finally pulled away, he grinned. She giggled. "There'll be time for that later." She waved and walked off in the direction of Maggie and Glenn's house.

"Uncle Daryl!" He turned to see Judith coming down the porch steps and running towards him, her long brown hair flying behind her. He braced himself for the impact. If you weren't prepared for it, she could take you down in a heartbeat. She wasn't too good on stopping once she got going good.

Sure enough she ran straight into Daryl's legs and wrapped her skinny arms around them with a giggle. He shook his head and reached down to pick her up.

"Guess what?" She asked.

"What?"

"I woke up!" She yelled this like it was the biggest accomplishment ever. Kids had it so easy. He longed for the days when the simplest things were fun and exciting.

"Good job." Daryl replied.

She twined her arms around his neck and nuzzledher head against his chest. His heart skipped a beat. This is how he imagined it would be like if he had ever had kids. As much as he tried to keep himself closed off from any emotion, he melted with this little girl. She had him wrapped around her little finger and it thrilled yet scared him at the same time. He had never meant so much to anyone besides Carol before.

"Uncle Daryl?" Judith pulled back to stare at him intently.

"Yes Jude?"

"Can I keep one of da wabbits if they have babies?" She asked.

He almost laughed at her serious expression. She was clearly expecting an argument, but Daryl figured he didn't mind if she kept one of the babies for herself. He was hoping there would be a big litter of rabbits so that they in turn could produce more rabbits and help to keep the group fed through the harsh winter months.

"Of course ya can." He replied. Judith squealed and bounced happily in his arms.

"I wanna go pick one out!" She cried.

"Alright. Let's go pick ya out a _wabbit_." He said.

...

Carol knocked on the door to Beth's bedroom and waited patiently until she heard her call out to enter. She opened the door and saw that the girl was curled up on her bed in the fetal position. Closing the door softly behind her, she crossed over and sat down on the edge of the bed. She didn't say anything for a few minutes, just sat in silence as she thought about what it was that she _could say. _

_"_Do you wanna talk about it?" She finally asked.

There was silence from Beth's end for a few moments before she responded. "I don't know what to say."

Carol reached over and turned on the small lamp next to her bed so that she could see her. Her eyes fell on the bandage that was peeking out from underneath Beth's shirt sleeve. "How about you start by telling me why you thought that this was the answer?" Carol asked.

Beth shuffled around in the bed and pulled herself up so that she was leaning against the headboard of her bed. Her hair was sticking out in various places and her eyes were red and puffy. Carol watched as she picked at a loose string on her blanket. "I guess I'm just tired. I'm tired of living the same day over and over again." Beth said quietly.

She could definitely understand that. It was hard living this life. There wasn't a whole lot of special events to look forward to. The most you had to strive for was that you lived to see another day and if you were lucky enough to still have any family around at this point, then you tried to spend as much time as you could with them.

"I'm not going to tell you it's easy because it's not. I have days where I don't want to get up and out of bed each morning but I do." Carol said.

Beth's eyes widened in surprise. "You do?" Carol nodded. "So why _do_ you get up? I mean, what is your motivation?"

"Daryl. Judith. Carl. The rest of the group. We're all family here Beth. We all have struggles. We keep going though, hoping that one day it will get better. We keep going for _each other_. One day there will be no more walkers and then who will populate the earth if we don't keep going?" Carol paused a moment before continuing. "This life we have here isn't perfect by any means. Before Ed was gone, I had nothing except for Sophia. There were many days I didn't want to get up then, but I did. I did it for her. Now she's gone and I have Daryl. Things aren't always roses but we love each other and he needs me just as much as I need him. "

Beth drew her knees up to her chest and was silent for several moments. "I guess I just didn't think about all of the people I would be hurting if I left."

Carol placed a hand on her knee and squeezed lightly. "Lots of people would be sad if you left. We're all trying to make it just like you but we stick around for each other. We have to support each other. If things get rough, you need to find someone and try to talk about it."

Beth nodded. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. There's a woman outside who is hurting right this moment because her only sister was trying to leave her."

Beth let out a deep breath and pushed herself to the edge of the bed. "I'll go and talk to her. Thanks Carol."

Carol pulled her into a hug. "Anytime."


	8. Chapter 8

****AN: You guys are so wonderful for your great reviews! I'm moving on with the story a bit so I hope you like it! As always, I look forward to hearing from you all! Thank you so much! Enjoy! :)**

**...**

It didn't escape Daryl that Carl still hadn't made it back by the time dinner time rolled around. Everyone had gathered into him and Carol's house to eat and talk with the new people. Maggie and Michonne were helping Carol cook a meal big enough to feed everyone while the rest were sitting around the table. Judith was being bounced from person to person, enjoying the attention she was getting. He noticed she had taken a liking to Adam, which was just great for Daryl because that probably meant he would have to spend more time around the man who had a serious crush on him. The only person besides Carl that Daryl noticed missing was Beth, and he went into the kitchen to find out where she was. The last thing he wanted was another suicide attempt. He also needed to get away from Adam, who hadn't stopped staring at him as he had walked in. It was giving Daryl the creeps.

"Where's Beth?" He asked as he walked into the kitchen where the women were chatting away.

Maggie looked up from chopping some vegetables. "She's at home in her room. I checked on her already and she seems fine. She just didn't want everyone looking at her. Don't worry I took out all the weapons too."

Daryl nodded. "Ya sure she's alright?"

"Yep. We had a long talk. She'll be fine I think. We had a good cry together and we got a lot of things off of our chest. It was good for the both of us." Maggie said.

Daryl felt like he really didn't need to know all that. A simple yes or no would have been just fine for him. But around here, you never just got a simple yes or no from a woman. No, they felt the need to explain everything. He reached over and plucked up a carrot that Maggie had finished chopping. She waved her knife at him.

"Hands off Dixon!" She threatened with a smile.

Daryl paid her no mind and crossed over behind Carol who was standing off in the corner stirring something that resembled the weak tea that they drank from time to time. He snaked his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to her neck, ignoring the looks Michonne and Maggie were exchanging behind his back. He had gotten more comfortable showing his affection to her as long as no one teased him or made it too obvious.

"You ladies mind some company? Them men are in there talkin' about huntin' or some crazy shit like that. The only huntin' I ever done was huntin' for my baseball bat when I thought someone was fixing to come in my apartment and rob me blind." Veronica said as she entered the room.

"We don't mind at all." Michonne said.

Veronica crossed over to the stove and peered down into the pot that was simmering on the stove. "What is it?" She asked, making a face.

"It's stew." Carol replied.

"Mhm. Mind if I add some things to it? I can be pretty inventive when I wanna be. It's one of my many talents." Veronica laughed.

Carol exchanged a glance with the other ladies and then shrugged. "Sure. Why not? Work some magic."

Veronica huffed. "Honey if I had _magic_, we wouldn't be in this mess." Everyone laughed.

Daryl tried to ignore the conversation as he stood off to the side of the kitchen and chewed on the vegetables that he managed to keep swiping, despite the dirty looks he kept getting from Maggie and Michonne. He couldn't help it; his stomach was growling at him. He almost groaned as Adam came through the door. He tried to disappear into the wall but the man spotted him instantly and smiled.

"There you are!" Adam cried and all the ladies looked up and then over at Daryl. "I knew you were hiding somewhere."

"Ain't hidin'." Daryl grumbled.

Carol snickered. "Yes you were Daryl."

He shot her a look and she tried not to laugh. He leaned over next to her ear. "I'll deal with _you _later." He growled so that only she could hear him.

She gave him a sultry smile. "Looking forward to it Dixon." She replied.

...

Carl slowly cooked the squirrel over the fire, watching as the fat dripped down into the flames and made a hissing sound. He was starving and he wasn't sure he was quite ready to go back yet. He had seen a grand total of two walkers all day. Not that he was complaining though. It just made him nervous when he didn't see many even though he should be used to it. They never saw too many anymore. Except for the occasional herd that they spotted, the walkers seemed to be slowly diminishing. Either that or they were hiding somewhere. He fiddled with his knife as he waited for his dinner to finish.

The snap of a stick brought his head up, his senses on high alert. Rising to his feet, he kicked dirt over the low fire and blanketed himself in darkness. He had grown accustomed to seeing in the dark when he had been out with Daryl. It was better to be in the dark than to be standing in the spotlight for your enemy to have a clear shot at you. Carl held his breath and listened. He heard another crunch and then a muffled curse. He frowned. There was a loud sound and then he heard a much louder curse. He sighed and put away his knife.

"What are you doing here Beth?" He called into the darkness.

There was a pause. "Carl? Where are you? The fire went out and I can't see a thing." Beth's voice floated back to him.

He sighed and bent down to restart his fire. Minutes later, she came stumbling into his little camp and would have fallen into the fire had he not reached out to grab her in time. Setting her upright, he turned away from her and went back to sitting in front of the fire. She stood there awkwardly for a few moments.

"Are you going to come back?" She asked.

"What are you doin' here?" He asked her, ignoring her question.

She shuffled her feet. "I just came to check on you. I was worried...I saw the fire."

"What do you care?" He snapped. He hadn't meant to snap at her, but he was still mad at her for trying to kill herself. He felt like it was a cowardly way to go and he didn't understand it at all.

"I care more than you think." She replied.

He snorted. "You were stupid for coming out here in the dark by yourself." She sniffed and he could tell she was crying. He felt like an asshole for snapping at her, but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

"I'm sorry I even came out here!" She cried. She began to move past the fire and his hand shot out, gripping her arm.

"Don't go...I'm sorry." He mumbled.

She tensed underneath his hand and he released her arm. She didn't continue leaving and she finally moved to sit down next to him by the fire. They both sat in silence for several minutes, the only sounds the crackling of the fire as the squirrel continued to cook.

"One morning a few days ago I woke up and realized that I really had no motivation to get out of the bed," Beth began. Carl's eyes slid to hers but he remained quiet, listening. "There was nothing going on that didn't happen every day. Have you ever watched a movie that you used to like so many times that you just get tired of seeing the same thing over and over? It's kind of like that. It feels like we just don't have a purpose anymore, you know? I know that it was selfish of me to do that to you, but I was lost. I wasn't trying to hurt you Carl." She said softly.

Carl swallowed hard as he thought about her words. He pulled the squirrel off of the fire and set it aside to cool before scooting over and taking her small hand in his. He played with her fingers for several moments, tracing his finger over her hand. "I didn't realize that you felt like that. It's hard for me somedays too, you know. Not having my Mom around anymore and with my Dad being gone...It's just hard. I had to put both of my parents down like they were some kind of wounded animal. It's not something that sits well with you. You want to know what keeps me going though?" He asked. She looked at him, her eyes glistening in the light of the fire. She nodded softly. "You. _You_ keep me going. I think about the day when the world is finally free of walkers and you and I can be together...maybe even start a family."

He waited for several long moments. He could feel her trembling slightly next to him. She pulled her hand from his and grabbed his face. Leaning over, she pressed her lips to his, slipping her tongue into his mouth. He groaned and yanked her over and into his lap. She drove him absolutely crazy with need and he didn't know how to tell her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and simply held her as they kissed. He could feel the pounding of her heart through their clothes and he was sure that his was pounding just as hard. She finally pulled back and rested her forehead against his, their breathing heavy.

"Why do ya keep pulling away from me?" He whispered.

She played with the edge of his t-shirt. "I'm scared." She replied.

"Why are you scared? It's just me."

"I know...It's just...I don't want things to be weird between us. I don't want sex to change things. Besides that, I don't really know what I'm doing." She mumbled.

Carl couldn't help himself. He laughed. "And you think I _do_?"

She hit him against the shoulder softly. "Don't laugh at me. Don't you?"

He was a little surprised that she actually thought he had any experience at all in that area. She had been his first kiss, and the only reason he was any good at that now was because they had spent so much time practicing. He was as lost as she was when it came to sex. He only knew a little about the basics from hearing the other guys talk occasionally. "I have a_bsolutely no_ idea what I am doing." He replied.

"_Oh_." Beth said in a surprised voice. "I'm sorry I keep bouncing back and forth about wanting to have sex. I guess most girls my age wouldn't still be a virgin right now, huh?" She slid out of his lap, but grabbed his hand as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

Carl chuckled. "I think most girls your age would just be lucky to be a_live _at this point Beth."

She laughed. "I love you Carl."

"I love you too."

...

The others had been gone for about thirty minutes and Daryl was patiently waiting for Carol in their bedroom while she put Judith down. Sometimes it could take a while, especially if Judith started requesting Carol read to her, which she did sometimes. Daryl was lying on top of the covers with only his pants on, growing impatient. Finally he heard her soft footsteps coming down the hall and he smiled in anticipation. He hid behind the door and when she walked in and shut it, he grabbed her, pinning her against the wall. She squealed slightly but he quickly covered her mouth with his own to muffle the noise. He stroked her mouth with his tongue and after a few minutes she began to moan. He pulled back and grinned at her.

"Now 'bout earlier..." He mumbled.

She chuckled as he bent down and suckled her neck softly. "I don't know what you're talking about." She muttered.

He growled. "Mhm. Ya threw me to tha wolves woman." Ever since Adam had found Daryl in the kitchen, he hadn't left him alone the whole night. Daryl had tried to get away from him as they sat down to dinner, but he grabbed the seat next to Daryl, putting Daryl between Carol and Adam. The worst part about it all was that he had found out that Adam wasn't such a bad guy and if he would just stop flirting with him then Daryl could actually see them being friends. It was the flirting that made him uncomfortable.

He had just begun to lift Carol's shirt over her head when they heard the knock from downstairs. Carol nudged him. "There's someone at the door."

Daryl ignored her and kept kissing his way down her neck until she nudged him again. He growled. "Jus' ignore it. Maybe they'll go away." He muttered.

Carol laughed. "Daryl! It could be important!"

Daryl groaned and stood up. "It better be ta tear me away from ya woman. I'll go an' see what tha damn problem is but you jus' wait here. And be naked. I'll be right back ta continue this." Without bothering to even grab a shirt, he marched down the stairs and threw open the front door just as Glenn was getting ready to knock again.

"Oh good, you're up. We have a little problem." Glenn said. He smirked a little at Daryl's ruffled hair and shirtless appearance.

Daryl leaned against the door. "This better be good." He growled.

"Beth's missing. Maggie just went to check on her before we went to bed and she's not there. We've checked with everyone else and no one's seen her. Maggie thinks she might have went outside the gate to find Carl."

Daryl sighed. "Alright. Lemme get my shit together an' I'll meet ya at tha gate in five. We can't have her wanderin' round out there by herself."

Glenn nodded and Daryl went back inside and up to the room where Carol was waiting. She had put her shirt back on and was sitting on the edge of the bed with a worried expression. "Is it Carl?" She asked.

Daryl shook his head. "Nope. Beth. Can't find 'er. Maggie thinks she musta went outside tha gate. Gonna take Glenn an' go lookin' fer 'er." He quickly slipped on his shirt and began shoving his feet into his boots.

Carol walked over to him and pressed a kiss onto his cheek. "Be careful." She said.

Daryl nodded. "I will. An' if I come across Carl I'm gonna whoop that boy's ass. He's gotta quit runnin' out when shit gets tough." He gave her a quick kiss and walked out.


	9. Chapter 9

****AN: Sorry this is so late (or early depending on where you are) in getting published! It's midnight here and I'm fixing to hit the sack. I've enjoyed all of your comments and pm's concerning the story so far. They all mean a lot to me and I truly appreciate the time it takes you all to type them. I hope you enjoy this chapter! As always, let me know your thoughts, enjoy!**

**...**

Carl held Beth in his arms for a long while, content to just sit there holding her. The fire had died down and now they were only illuminated by the pale light of the moon. She had been still for a while and he wondered if she had gone to sleep. His leg had gone slightly numb from being in the same position for so long and having her lean against him as she was. He tried to shift slightly so as not to disturb her but he wasn't able to move enough to get the blood flowing back into his leg.

"Want me to move?" Beth whispered.

He was startled momentarily by her voice. He paused. "No. You're fine." He lied.

Beth snorted and tried to wiggle from his grasp but he just tightened his arms around her. He wasn't ready to let her go just yet even if he had to endure his tingling numb leg. She reached a hand behind her and tickled him on his thigh, his most ticklish spot. He jumped, as much from the tickling as from the feel of her hand there. It had been a long time since she had tickled him. He could feel himself inadvertantly growing hard as he tried to fight off his laughter and move away from her. He finally grabbed at her wrists and pinned her hands behind her with one of his much larger hands. He used his other hand to tickle her ribs, _her_ most ticklish spot. She immediately bucked against his hand and began laughing.

"Carl!" She hissed, "Stop!"

He chuckled. "Tell me you love me." He growled. He could barely make out the tears running down her cheeks from her laughter. He paused, his hand hovering above her stomach, as he felt the atmosphere change. Suddenly she wasn't laughing anymore and neither was Carl. They were staring at each other and Beth was panting hard from her exertions. He swallowed and rested his hand on her abdomen, feeling her jump slightly. She lifted herself as best as she could being that he still had her wrists in his grasp and pressed her lips to his. He groaned as she pushed her tongue into his mouth, tangling it with his. He kissed her for several minutes, enjoying the taste and feel of her. Pulling back from her lips, he tugged on her wrists and she tipped her head back to expose her neck. He dipped his head and nipped at the tender flesh there. She moaned.

He wasn't sure exactly what they were doing but he was just going with it. It felt different this time, more _electric_. He couldn't really explain it but he suddenly wanted her with an intensity that stole his breath away. Encouraged by her reactions, he nibbled his way down her neck until he met the collar of her shirt. Glancing up at her, he saw her barely imperceptible nod. Using his other hand, he skirted it beneath her shirt and up to the edge of her bra. Sucking in a breath he slipped his fingers underneath it to cup her breast. He let go of her wrists as she fell back across him, moaning at his touch. He wanted to taste her. He bent his head and lifted her shirt.

"Beth? Carl? You over there?" Glenn's voice called out from a few yards away.

Beth quickly scrambled up, adjusting her clothes as she moved. Carl growled low in his throat. He waited a few seconds until Beth had herself adjusted before he responded.

"We're both here. What's up?" Carl responded.

"Dammit Carl! What tha hell?" Daryl yelled.

Carl groaned and let his head fall back against the tree. Of course Daryl had come looking for him. "Jus' tryin' ta get some peace." Carl replied.

"Did Maggie send y'all?" Beth asked from beside him.

Daryl stepped forward a little so that his body was somewhat illuminated by the night sky. "Ya damn right! Yer sister is worried sick 'bout ya Beth." Daryl said.

Glenn cleared his throat. "Maggie just panicked when you weren't in your room Beth. You should have known she would be checking on you tonight after what happened earlier."

"I'm not a child." Beth retorted.

"Then stop fuckin' actin' like one, the both of ya! I'm ready ta take my ass back down there an' get some sleep! I got a warm bed an' a warm woman callin' my name an' this is really not the way I envisioned my night goin'!" Daryl's voice was laced with barely controlled anger.

Carl stood wearily and helped Beth to her feet. "Fine. I'll come back but only cause it means so much ta Beth. I'm movin' into the other empty house though. I want my own space." He braced himself, waiting for Daryl to try to argue him out of it. To his surprise, he didn't.

Daryl sighed. "Fine. Jus' get ya ass down here an' we can work it all out tomorrow."

Carl tugged gently on Beth's hand and grabbed up his bow before following along after Daryl and Glenn, who hadn't said anything else at this point. They entered the gate and he watched Daryl say a few words to Michonne who was keeping watch, before sending them all a glare and stomping back inside the house.

Carl ignored him and pulled Beth to him for a quick kiss. "Thanks." He whispered so that only she could hear. She blushed a little in the faint glow of the light radiating from the lamp in the guard shack. She pressed her lips to his cheek and squeezed his hand before following after Glenn who was waiting a few feet ahead for her. He watched them walk away, ignoring Michonne who he could feel watching him and then entered the house behind where Daryl had entered.

...

Daryl threw open the door to his bedroom, startling Carol who had been lightly dozing under the covers. Locking the door, he began stripping off his clothes, his intention clear in his eyes. She lay there until he was naked and then she held her arms out to him. It was all the invitation he needed and he crossed over to her, sliding underneath the covers with her. He was immensely pleased to find that she was naked underneath them and he couldn't stop his hands from coursing over her eagerly. He captured her lips between his teeth and nibbled gently, causing her to whimper and buck beneath him.

He chuckled. "Miss me?" He whispered.

"Mmm..." Carol replied. She reached underneath the blankets and grabbed him, squeezing firmly.

He hissed through his teeth. He took that as an affirmative and continued his pointed assault on her body. He kissed his way down her neck, pausing at her breasts to take her nipple into his mouth. He suckled it until she let out another moan and her hips rose against his. Working his way down the covers he slowly traced her slit before pushing his finger inside of her slowly. She gasped.

"Daryl!" She cried.

He met her eyes and her silent plea. "Alright. We'll take it faster this time, okay?" He asked gruffly.

She nodded and bucked her hips against his once more. He smiled at her impatience. Apparently he wasn't the only one needing it fast tonight. He positioned himself over her and entered her in one smooth thrust. She trembled beneath him as he eased himself in and out of her. Her hands wrapped around him to grab his butt, her nails digging into his flesh lightly. Spurred on by the action, he thrust harder until they were both panting and sweaty. He could feel the beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and he could feel his release just out of reach. He opened his eyes to see her staring back at him. She bit her lip and he felt himself spiraling out of control then. He just couldn't hold it any longer. He barely felt her unraveling beneath him and he thrust until he collapsed over her, supporting himself on shaky elbows. He rolled to the side and she curled into him with a contented sigh. He was silent for several moments.

"Ya tryin' ta kill me aren't ya? I was tryin' ta hold out for ya woman." He panted.

Carol chuckled as she traced lazy circles over his chest hair with her fingers. "I just wanted to see if I could make you break." She responded.

"Mmm." He grunted.

"So I'm assuming you found Beth and Carl?" She said with a yawn.

He laughed. "Yer jus' now askin' me?"

"Well I didn't very well have time to ask you earlier with the way you came in here, all Tarzan-like."

"Ya like it an' ya know it. An' yeah, we found 'em." He didn't mention that he had found them almost in the throes of passion. There were some things that Carol just didn't need to know. Carl having sex was one of them. Daryl could have done without actually having to _hear _them getting into the thick of things and he was pretty sure that Glenn had heard it too. He felt Carol's breathing even out beside him and he pulled the blankets up higher over them, his body exhausted but his mind anything but.

...

Michonne sat quietly in the guard shack, her eyes scanning the area around them but her mind not really focusing on the task. She knew there were things going on with Carl, Beth, and now Maggie. She knew about Beth's suicide attempt, but she didn't quite understand it. She had always seemed so bubbly and sweet around Michonne. She had been amused at the way Daryl had exited in a huff and returned much the same way earlier. He had only stopped long enough to inform her to keep an eye out for anybody trying to enter or leave and that he would be there in the morning to relieve her. He was a man of very few words sometimes.

Michonne hated the night shift but she supposed no one really liked it all that much. There just wasn't a whole lot going on. Sometimes she brought a book and tried to read some, but all of the books she had already read and she just didn't feel like reading a book she already knew the ending to again. Sometimes, Tyreese would accompany her or she would him and they would talk about anything and everything. He was a deeply compassionate and intelligent man. She had deep feelings for him but she wasn't sure if it was love. They had sex and they were always both very satisfied, but she just wasn't sure she could call it love. She had been down that road before and it had left her broken many times over.

She paused as she heard light footsteps outside. Silently sliding her katana out of its sheath, she waited until the steps drew closer. She stepped out from around the side of the shack, blade ready and came face to face with Veronica. Michonne let out a breath and Veronica held her hand over her heart, her eyes wide.

"Oh my God, you were going to carve my ass up, weren't you?" Veronica gasped.

Michonne rolled her eyes. "Don't be dramatic. I practice extreme control with my weapon."

Veronica didn't look convinced. "If you say so. That thing should come with some insurance. Just in case you a_ccidentally_ chop someone's head off with it."

Michonne laughed. "You're funny, but if I chop someone's head off, I usually mean for it to happen. What are you doing out here?"

"I can't sleep. I'm an insomniac. It drives Adam crazy. His white ass never has any trouble sleeping. That man can sleep anywhere. I was usually the one freakin' out all night on watch while he lay curled up and sleeping underneath some tree."

Michonne smiled. "He is something, that's for sure."

Veronica returned her smile. "He really is. Gotta say though, he really has an eye for things. _Anything_. Decorating, art, building, fashion. None of those things get you too far in this world, but I would have loved to have him around before all this."

"Do you have a family?" Michonne asked.

Veronica was quiet for several minutes and Michonne wondered if she had hit a soft spot. Some people didn't like the mention of their families and maybe Veronica was one of them.

"No. I had a sister but she was gunned down in the projects way before all this shit went down. Never got married nor had any kids. I wanted to, but it never seemed to work out, you know? Good men in the ghetto are extremely hard to come by. Dated a lot of losers before I just decided I was better off on my own." Veronica replied.

Michonne could see the layer of hurt underneath the humor that Veronica tried to project. She tried hard to hide it, but Michonne could see it all the same. It was the same way she had dealt with all of her hurt and anger before meeting Tyreese. He seemed to burrow his way under her skin and force it out of her, whether she wanted to talk about it or not. He never judged her for anything she had to say and he always followed up with some story from his own life that related to hers in some way so that she wouldn't feel so alone. He was a good man like that. Standing there talking to Veronica made her realize how thankful she was for him and how much he really meant to her. She would have to find a way to show her appreciation when Daryl finally came to relieve her in the morning.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: So...been a looonnng while here. I went back and reread over this fic and I've had some of this chapter written for a while so I thought I might dabble at it and see where it went. It's not long by any means, but at this point I figure something is better than the nothing I have been producing. I appreciate the pm's I've gotten about this and maybe that's what spurred me on to write it! Anyways, if there are still any of you out there reading, then thanks for hanging with me! I'll see what I can do about updating again soon, but I can't make any promises...**

**...**

Carl was up bright and early the next morning getting his things together to move into the only house that wasn't occupied. He was anxious to get into it and get settled in. He supposed that this would technically be his first place that he lived in on his own and he was excited about it. He wished it wasn't so big though. He really didn't need three bedrooms but it was the only house they had left and beggars couldn't be choosers. He had already carried over one box when Judith's bedroom door opened and she walked out, rubbing her eyes sleepily. As soon as she spotted Carl, she perked up.

"Whatcha doin'?" She asked curiously.

He paused, unsure how to tell Judith that he was moving from the house. He didn't want her to get upset and think that he was leaving her when he wasn't. He was literally going across the street. He sat on the edge of his bed and patted his lap. "C'mere," He called. She smiled and rushed over to climb into his lap. "I'm movin' into the house across the street," He said.

He watched her face as she processed this information. She crinkled her brow whenever she was thinking really hard about something. "But I like my room here," She said.

"No, Jude. Just me. I'm moving over there by myself," He clarified.

She crossed her arms. "Why would ya do that for? Dont'cha like us no more?"

Carl groaned. He hated when she wrinkled her face like that. It tugged at his heart. "Of course I do. I love you. I'll always love you because you're my sister but I'm gettin' older now and I need my own space." She was quiet for several minutes and he prayed that she would understand. It was hard to tell how Judith would react sometimes. He learned that little kids changed emotions and attitudes like the wind.

"Can I come visit ya whenever I want?" She asked him.

He nodded. "Anytime you want. I promise," He said.

She nodded. "Then I guess I'm okay with it," She climbed down from his lap and looked around his room. "Can I have yer room when ya leave?"

Carl laughed. "You'll have to talk to Daryl and Carol about that but I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

Judith squealed. "Yay!" She exited the room and a few minutes later he heard Daryl's groans of pain as she must have made it into their room and jumped onto their bed. She was good about that. She figured that if she was up, then everyone else had to be as well. He shook his head with a smile as he continued to stuff his things into any boxes that he could find.

...

Daryl gave Carol a quick kiss after breakfast before she took off with Judith in tow, headed to feed the animals. Feeding the animals was Judith's favorite activity so it didn't require much convincing to get her to go along. He made his way over to the house that Carl had decided to take over slowly. He wasn't exactly crazy about the idea of Carl moving out but he supposed that the kid needed to stretch his wings sooner or later. It never ceased to surprise him how much he already thought of Carl as his own and Judith too. The pangs of sadness over the loss of his brother Rick were still there, tucked inside of his heart, just not as prominent as before.

He was surprised to find Adam and Tyreese inside of the house talking to Carl. Well Tyreese was talking to Carl anyway. Adam was floating from room to room muttering to himself as he checked out the house. Daryl tried to make it past the living room before he turned around but he wasn't that lucky.

"Daryl! Come here for a minute sweetie!" Adam cried out.

Daryl cringed inwardly and did a circle in the hallway to come back to stop in the doorway of the living room. Adam was standing at the end of one of the two loveseats that populated the room with his hands on his hips.

"What'cha need? I got shit ta do," Daryl said gruffly.

Adam waved a hand at Daryl, "This will only take a minute. I need to borrow your muscles to lift up the end of this couch. The rug is stuck underneath and I need to pull it out."

Daryl sighed and looked for Carl or Tyreese to see if they were within arm's reach so that he could pawn the job off on one of them, but they were conveniently too far away. He set his crossbow down by the door and walked over to the couch. Adam stood there as Daryl felt for a hold to lift the couch.

Daryl lifted a brow at him, "Well? Ain't got all day. Get'cha ass on tha floor an' pull tha damn rug!"

Adam rolled his eyes and got down on his hands and knees, "Don't be trying to check out my ass now," He teased.

Daryl huffed and lifted the couch up for Adam to pull the rug out before he set it back down again. He walked back over to the doorway and picked his bow back up, slinging it on his shoulder as he made his way down the short hall to the kitchen. Tyreese and Carl paused in their conversation as Daryl entered the room. He could feel Carl giving him the cold shoulder as he entered but he ignored the boy for the time being.

"Big house for one," Daryl commented.

Tyreese looked over at Carl, giving him the opportunity to respond before finally catching on that he wasn't going to, "It's nice though," Tyreese said.

Daryl nodded, "Yep," He sat down on one of the stools next to Carl, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. "Gotta minute?"

Tyreese cleared his throat, "Yeah, I think I'm going to head on out and see what Michonne is up to," He said.

"Better duck an' cover if'n ya wanna make it past tha livin' room. Tha queen is on a roll," Daryl called over his shoulder. Tyreese gave a thumbs up and a chuckle before heading out of the room and down the hall.

All was quiet now and Daryl absentmindedly chewed on his thumb as the two of them sat in silence. Finally Carl let out an exasperated sigh, "You're not leavin' until I talk, are ya?" He asked with a sidelong glance at Daryl.

Daryl snickered, "Ya know I'm better at this 'an you. So talk. Ain't got nothin' but time," He replied.

Carl fiddled with an empty canister that sat on the table, "I'm tired of being considered a kid. I think I've earned my rightful place as one of the group, don't ya think?"

"Ya are one of tha group," Daryl argued.

Carl snorted, "No I ain't! Ya always sayin' that, but every time I suggest something, it gets overlooked. Or every time something happens with Beth, everyone looks to me like _I_ did something! No one ever tells me I did good," He said.

Daryl hadn't really thought a lot about it, but he supposed in a lot of ways Carl was right. He had known Carl for a long time now and in his mind he still thought of Carl as that gangly kid that wore the sheriff's hat that was too big for his head. That hat still sat on a shelf in Carl's room and Daryl did his best not to look at it. Carl was essentially a grownup now and maybe Daryl didn't give him enough credit for it. In a lot of ways, he was still living out that promise to Rick to take care of his son as if he were his own. Except Carl had grown into his own man now and Daryl still felt like it had happened overnight.

Daryl inhaled deeply and clapped a strong hand on Carl's shoulder, "Yer Dad would be proud o' ya," He said.

Carl turned away and Daryl could see his chin tremble slightly. It wasn't easy on Daryl either to talk about Rick like this, but he felt like he owed it to them both somehow. He removed his hand and waited for Carl to respond in some way.

Finally Carl let out a deep breath, "I miss him. I...I was so defiant towards him while he was here...God I wish I could take all that back for one more lecture," Carl laughed shakily. "Just one."

Daryl smiled slightly, the corners of his mouth quirking up, "Yeah, his famous speeches. Took me a while, but I finally figured out why his hair was so damn curly," Daryl said.

Carl glanced at him, "Why?"

"Cause he ran his fuckin' fingers through it so damn much I reckon'. Every damn time I saw him he had his fingers in his hair," Daryl said.

Carl smiled, his eyes focused across the kitchen as if locked into some distant memory, "Yeah and then he would put his hands on his hips," He said.

Daryl chuckled at that image. He was surprised at how easy it was to talk about Rick and he was glad that he had decided to bring him up. It hadn't been as hard as he had thought.

He clapped Carl hard on the back, "Come on deputy, let's go walk tha fences."


End file.
